Elevator safety-lock.



PATENTED AUG. 11, 1908.

H. HIGGIN.

ELEVATOR SAFETY LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE so, 1906.

bushings of the clamping device.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY HIGGIN, OF NEWPORT, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO THE IIIGGINMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEWPORT, KENTUCKY, A CORPORATION OF WESTVIRGINIA.

ELEVATOR SAFE TY-LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 30, 1906.

Patented Aug. 11, 1908.

Serial No. 324,272.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY HIGGIN, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of the city of Newport, in the county of Campbell and State ofKentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ElevatorSafety-Locks, of which the following is a specification.

The several features of my invention and the various advantagesresulting from their use conjointly or otherwise will be apparent fromthe following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings making a part of this application, and inwhich similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figure1 is a view in perspective of a mechanism embodying my invention. Fig. 2is a top view of the clamping mechanism. Fig. 3 is a view of the bottomor under side of the clam ing device. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the efthand end portion of the device shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view of theFig. 6 is a vertical transverse section taken in the plane of the dottedline 6, 6, of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a view in perspective of that endportion of the clamping device which is at the right in Fig. 2. In thisFig. 7, the rotatable screw sleeve or nut and its lever are shownuncoupled from the non-rotatable screw.

I will now proceed to describe my invention in detail.

A indicates the controller rope of the elevator. There are certainoccasions on which it is desirable to hold this rope stationary, and sothat it cannot be accidentally shifted up or down.

The object of my invention is to provide the clamping means for holdingthis rope stationary and so that it cannot be shifted unless thisspecial means is actuated by human agency. The clamping device ispreferably located at a height above the elevator car floor suflicientto enable it to be conveniently reached by the hand of the operator.

The mode of support may be varied to suit the wishes of the user and thestructures adjacent. Ordinarily, an upright post B, preferably of iron,having an outspread footiece B secured by bolts or screws B passingthrough the foot piece and into the floor will be one of the mostconvenient supports.

The upper end of the support is provided with an expanded top, or tableB. On this the clamping mechanism is supported.

The clamping mechanism consists as follows: There is a body piece Oprovided with suitable means for securing it in place on the support towhich it is connected or attached. The preferred means for thus securingit in place, are the ears or flanges O O, respectively extending outfrom the respective sides of this body piece C near the bottom of thelatter, and when the supportis of the kind shown in the drawing, theseflanges O C are secured to the top B by screws or by the bolts B Inthisbody piece O are two parallel grooves respectively marked O O Betweenthese grooves O C, is a tongue or long straight rib O. This rib extendsout toward the rope A beyond the adjacent end of the body O. Its outerend is adapted to .receive a part of the bushing with which this endportion of the clamping mechanism is fitted.

In each groove O is located a rod or piece D, adapted to slide back andforth in this groove. Those ends of these rods D which are nearest therope, extend out beyond the tongue or rib O and are then duly joined,forming an end D This end piece D may be originally separated from therods D, D, and be connected to them, or may, as shown, and as I preferto constitute it, be in one piece with these rods D, D. As I adapt thisend for a bushing, its inner' side is formed to receive the same.

The kind of bushing which I refer to em ploy is that shown in Fig. 5. tconsists of two semi-cylinders E, E, each provided at each end with aflange E E These flanges prevent their semi-cylinders from leaving theopening between the end of the tongue C and the end D of the rods D, D.The interior of each bushing is suitably corrugated, or ribbed, toenable the bushings to have a firmer grip on the rope. The ribs E in thepresent instance run diagonally to the length of the bushing.

Therear end portions of the rods D, D, are provided with a screw threadII. This thread is interrupted at two opposite points by the tongue Obut otherwise it is spirally continuous, and as shown.

The rotatable sleeve K has a screw thread K This screw thread engagesthe thread H on the rods D, D. This screw sleeve is prevented fromleaving its place on the screw H by means of the tongue 0 which extendsrearward and connects with a rear holding disk or abutment C beingsecured thereto by a screw or pin G which latter passes through theopening C of the disk C end with bushing close to the bushing of thetongue 0 This operation binds the rope fast in this clamp, and preventsthe rope A from moving up or down,that is, the rope is held stationaryuntil the clamp is loosened.

I provide suitable means for keeping the rotatory movement of therotatable screw sleeve K within fixed and useful limits. A preferredconstruction therefor is as follows: I provide a pin K on the end of therotatable sleeve, and a recess K in the rear holding disk or abutment Cof the clamp. The pin K moves in this recess K and its movement islimited by the ends K K of this recess K Of course, the pin K might beon the body 0, and the recess in the rotatable sleeve K, or vice versa,but the illustrated device is preferable.

Bushing is not absolutely necessary for the operation of my clamp, butits presence is obviously very much to be desired.

My invention is simple, economical and highly efiicient.

One advantage resulting from my invention is that in the constructionand use of the rope, the ordinary buttons usually present may well beomitted.

The place on the rope where the rope is to be grasped by the safetylook, when the elevator is to be stopped, may be indicated by paintingthe rope there, or by putting there a piece of bright metal which lattermay be constantly in view.

My invention saves the expense of button stops, and makes the stop apositive one.

It is to be noted that the device can be used for purposes other thanfor starting and stopping elevators.

What I claim as new, and of my invention and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is

1. In a clamp, the body C, provided with grooves C C a stationary tongueC, rods D, D, sliding in said grooves, and having a clamping end foroperating in conjunction with the tongue, and means for advancing andretracting the rods D, D, relatively to the tongue C substantially asand for the purposes specified.

2. In a clamp, the body C provided with grooves C G a stationary tongueC, rods D, D, sliding in said grooves, and having an end D the rods D,D, provided with. a screw thread, a rotatable screw sleeve engaging thescrew thread of the rods D, D, and means for holding this screw sleeveto place, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. In a clamp, the body C provided with grooves C G a stationary tongueC, rods D, D, sliding in said grooves, and having an end D the rods D,D, provided with a screw thread, a rotatable screw sleeve engaging thescrew thread of the rods D, D, and a detent at rear of this rotatablescrew sleeve secured to the tongue, substantially as and for thepurposes specified.

4. In a clamp, the bodyC provided with grooves C G a stationary tonguebetween these grooves and united to the body C, rods sliding in thegrooves and having a clamping end for operating against the tongue, saidrods D, D, provided with the screw thread H, a rotatable sleeve whosescrew thread engages screw thread H of the rods D, D, means for rotatingthe sleeve, the part C for holding the sleeve in place on the screwthread H, this part C and another member as the sleeve, beingrespectively provided with stop shoulders, and a stop pin, for limitingthe movement of the sleeve, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

5. In a clamp, the body C provided with grooves C G a stationary tonguebetween these grooves and united to the body C, rods sliding in thegrooves and having a clamping end for operating against the tongue, saidrods D, D, provided with the screw thread H,

a rotatable sleeve whose screw thread engages screw thread H of the rodsD, D, means for rotating the sleeve, and means for limiting the distancethrough which the sleeve rotates, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

6. In a clamp, the body C, provided with grooves C G a stationary tongueC rods D, D, sliding in said grooves and having a clamping end portionfor operating with said tongue, this clamping end on the side next thesaid tongue being of a semi-cylindrical concave shape, and the adjacentend portion of said tongue being also of a semi-cylindrical concaveshape, and means for advancing and retracting the rods D, D, relativelyto this tongue C substantially as and for the pur poses specified.

7. In a clamp, the bodyO provided with grooves C G a stationary tongue Crods D, D, sliding in said grooves and having a clamping end portion foroperating with the said tongue; this clamping end portion on the sidenext the tongue being of a semicylindrical concave shape, and theadjacent portion of said tongue eing also of a semicylindrical concaveshape, and the two part bushing, each part thereof consisting of a shellof a Semi cylindrical shape inside and outside, one portion occupyingthe concavity of the tongue, and the other portion occupying theconcavity of the clam ing end portion of the rods, and means for avancing and retracting the rods D, D, relatively to this tongue C,substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.

8. In a clamp, the body C provided with grooves C G a stationary tongueC rods D, D, sliding in said grooves and having a clamping end portionfor operating with the tongue, this clamping end portion on the sidenext the tongue being of a semi-cylindrical concave shape, and theadjacent portion of the said tongue being of a semi-cylindrical concaveshape; and the two part bushing, each part thereof consisting of a shellof a semi-cylindrical shape inside and outside, one part occupying theconcavity of the tongue, and the other portion occupying the concavityof the clamping end portion of the rods, the inside part of each bushinghaving a spirally corrugated or ribbed surface, and means for advancingand retracting the rods D, D, relatively to this tongue 0*,substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.

' 9. In a clamp, the body C provided with grooves Ci, G a stationarytongue C rods D, D, sliding in said grooves and having a clamping endportion for operating with the tongue, this clamping end portion on theside next the tongue being of a semi-cylindrical concave shape, and theadjacent portion of the said tongue being of a semi-cylindrical concaveshape; and the two part end flanged bushing, each part thereofconsisting of a shell of a semicylindrical sha e inside and outside, onepart occupying the concavity of the tongue and the other part occupyingthe concavity of the clamping portion of the rods, the flanges of eachone of the two complementary parts of the bushing respectivelyoverlapping the upper and lower surfaces of the said clamping endportion and of the said tongue, and means for advancing and retractingthe rods D, D, relatively to this tongue C substantially as and for thepurposes specified.

10. In a clamp, the body C provided with grooves C G a stationary tonguebetween these grooves and united to the body C and having a clamping endof a semi-cylindrical concave shape, rods sliding in the grooves andhaving a clamping end for operating against the tongue and which end isof a semicylindrical concave shape on the side next the adjacent end ofthe tongue, the rods D, D, rovided with the screw thread II, a rotatablesleeve provided with a screwthread engaging screwthread H of the rods D,D, means for rotating the sleeve, the part C for holding the sleeve inplace on the screw thread, this part C and another member as the sleevebeing respectively provided with stop shoulders and a stop-pin forlimiting the movement of the sleeve, substantially as and for thepurposes specified.

11. In a clamp, the body C provided with grooves, C G a stationarytongue between these grooves and united to the body C and having aclamping end for operating against the opposing portion of the clamp,the rods D, D, provided with the screw thread H, a rotatable sleevewhose screw-thread engages the screw thread H of the rods D, D, handle Kconnected to the sleeve, the part 0 for holding the sleeve in place onthe screw thread II, this part C and another member as the sleeve, beingrespectively provided with stop shoulders and a stop pin for limitingthe movement of the sleeve, substantially as and for the pur oses setforth.

HltNRY HIGGIN,

Attest:

K. SMITH, STARBUoK SMITH.

